Rogue trader alert: Were you approached by a gentleman at your door claiming to be from the National Trust last week? We have received a report of a man in a van going door to door in and around Sudbury, offering garden furniture for sale. The man claimed to be working for the National Trust with benches and olive trees available to purchase. If he called at your door, did you get a vehicle registration number? Or do you have a description you could provide us to assist our intelligence officers? These individuals often visit Suffolk and use the same sales patter - “last one”, “great price” "ex-exhibition stock" etc. They currently state they have stock because they have not been able to sell them at the usual Garden Shows. Our advice is to NEVER buy at the door! If you are approached at the door and are not expecting a caller, our advice is not to answer. Report to us via 0808 223 1133. When reporting doorstep incidents, please try to supply key information such as the description of the individual and their vehicle, including the make, model and vehicle registration if seen.
DVDRs seized: Over 20,000 DVDRs were seized from a property in Sudbury last week as part of an investigation into the sale of counterfeit DVDs online. The DVDRs, with film and TV programmes copied onto them, will now be examined for Copyright offences. Suffolk Trading Standards were assisted in the raid by an investigator from the Film Content Protection Agency, Suffolk Police and the National Trading Standards eCrime team.
eScooters: With 7 million adults having signalled their intention to buy either an eScooter or an eBike in 2021, we are set to see even more of these two-wheeled electric vehicles on our roads and pavements. However, there are some serious considerations to make before you buy. There were 484 casualties recorded in Great Britain in 2020 involving eScooters and most injuries were to the user, not pedestrians. There is some evidence that eScooter users are more likely be injured than cyclists if using the same terrain, probably because of lower visibility to car drivers, and because most riders don’t tend to wear helmets. Unless you are using an eScooter as part of an approved local hire scheme, it is illegal to use one in a public place. This includes paths, cycle paths and parks. The Police may act against you if caught contravening the law in this way, especially if riding dangerously. If you get more than a warning it could mean up to 6 points on your driving licence and a fine of up to £300. Legal eScooters are limited to 25 km/h (about 15 mph) so if yours goes above that speed you are more likely to be injured or stopped by the Police. By law retailers should make it clear to you before you buy about the usage restrictions, but they don’t always do so. Fire services are starting to attend incidents where eScooters have been the cause of a domestic fire. Blazes are due to issues with the battery and charger combination. Fire officer advice is not to charge your eScooter at home in a place where your exit could be blocked if you need to escape in the event the scooter caches fire. Trading Standards border officers are doing what they can nationwide to ensure that imported eScooters are safe and don’t present fire or electric shock risks, but there’s no guarantee that poorly designed or made models won’t get through to shops and online selling platforms. Consumers must therefore take care who they buy from, and not to make assumptions about quality and safety based on price, in these times of shortage, where demand is likely to outstrip supply. Don’t accept anything without an approved (e.g. BSI) UK 3-pin plug, and always carefully follow the charging instructions. Never buy an aftermarket battery or charging set unless it’s certified as compatible for your make and model. Batteries that fail to hold charge are a leading cause of customer dissatisfaction with eScooters. If you have a problem with an eScooter that you’ve purchased or want to report a safety concern to Trading Standards call free on 0808 223 1133
Eggs allergy: Eggs are one of the most common allergy-causing foods for children. Egg can be found in a wide range of foods, including cakes, pastries, desserts, meat products, mayonnaise and other salad dressings, soups, mousses, glazes, pasta, noodles, battered and bread crumbed foods, ice cream, chocolates and sweets. This list is not complete and the key point to remember is that you must always read food labels thoroughly if you have an egg allergy. All pre-packaged food sold in the UK must declare and highlight the presence in the ingredient list of major allergens including egg, even if they appear in small quantities. The word egg must be stated in the ingredient list in a way that makes it clear to the consumer of its presence. Egg must be declared whenever various ingredients are present including the following:
- Whole egg
- Dried egg
- Egg white and egg yolk
- Egg proteins, including albumin (which is egg white), ovalbumin (which is the main protein found in egg white), globulin, ovoglobulin, livetin, ovomucin, vitellin and ovovitellin
- Lysozyme, which is an enzyme that can be derived from egg white.
- Lecithin (E322), which can be derived from egg. Egg lecithin can be found in some foods and used in the manufacturing of some medicines. Your pharmacist should be able to supply information about any medicines you are prescribed.
More advice on allergen labelling for food manufacturers can be found here: https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/allergen-labelling-for-food-manufacturers
Spoofing: “Spoofing” can make it difficult to tell when number or email address is legitimate. That’s why our message is clear – Stop Challenge Protect when you get requests for your personal or financial information. Remember it is ok to refuse, reject or ignore these requests. Report all scams to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
Shein are recalling two children's sleepwear sets as they fail to meet flammability requirements. Products
Sknight10190731477 (on label)
Sknight10191129405 (on label)
The sleepwear sets were sold on https://www.shein.co.uk/ from August 2019 to September 2021. Customers should immediately stop using the products and contact Shein to arrange for them to be returned and a refund issued. Please contact Shein on ukcsteam@shein.com or 0808 196 6937.